Canadian military expects to secure contract for B.C. drone base by end of 2024
The Department of National Defence expects to have a contract in place by the end of this year to build a new military drone base in British Columbia.
The $53-million facility will house three combat-ready MQ-9B drones built by U.S.-based manufacturer General Atomics, and 25 personnel at the Royal Canadian Air Force base in Comox, B.C., as part of the Canadian government's $2.49-billion military drone program announced late last year.
Defence Construction Canada, the federal agency responsible for military development projects, has tendered an advanced procurement notice to design and construct a 5,700-square-metre B.C. drone facility with an additional 11,000 square metres of outdoor apron and parking.
Once complete, the facility will house offices, workshops, meeting rooms, a communications hub and maintenance bays, and will serve as the Western Canadian counterpart to a larger drone base that's now in the design phase at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia.
The Canadian government announced in December it would acquire 11 of the armed drones, with three to be stationed in Comox and eight in Greenwood. All of the aircraft will be piloted remotely from a new ground control centre to be built on existing National Defence property in Ottawa.
While the department is still seeking a contractor to build the B.C. facility, officials had already awarded contracts for the other two drone facilities before the deal to acquire the aircraft from General Atomics was announced.
Nova Scotia drone facility
Nova Scotia-based Pomerleau won a $4.65-million design consultant contract for the Greenwood site in February 2023. A National Defence spokesperson estimates the Nova Scotia facility will cost somewhere in the vicinity of $100 million.
Once complete, the 10,000-square-metre facility is expected to include offices, workshops, classrooms, hangar bays, classrooms and meeting rooms, with an additional 16,000 square metres of apron and outdoor space.
While the base will house eight of the MQ-9B drones, only four "will typically be assembled and ready for operations with four others typically stored in a high-security area," National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin told CTV News in an emailed statement.
The Greenwood facility is still in the design phase with no firm date for construction to get underway, she said.
Ottawa drone headquarters
Meanwhile, Bird Construction was awarded a design-build contract for the Ottawa drone headquarters last May.
The Department of National Defence estimates the facility will cost $65 million to construct. The headquarters is expected to accommodate approximately 198 personnel, as well as six aircraft cockpits and a pair of simulators inside a 6,000-square-metre facility.
Construction on the Greenwood drone site is expected to be completed in 2028 while the Ottawa headquarters should be operational the same year, according to National Defence.
The B.C. facility will be the last to come online. The current advanced procurement notice from Defence Construction Canada expires April 3, ahead of a formal design-build contract anticipated by late 2024.
A General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian drone over the Atlantic Ocean during a Royal Air Force event. (General Atomics)
National Defence says the Comox facility should be ready in 2030, with the expectation it will be designed to meet environmental certification as a net-zero carbon structure.
The first Canadian combat drones are slated for delivery in 2028, with the program fully operational by 2033.
Last September, the U.S. State Department revealed Canada's intention to buy the MQ-9B drones when it approved a foreign military sale request for munitions and other systems to outfit the aircraft, including Hellfire missiles and Mk82 500-pound bombs.
The aircraft will be deployed on operations with the Canadian Armed Forces abroad, while also serving a domestic role monitoring coastlines and providing civilian aid in wildfire and flood situations, according to National Defence.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
'Do not consume': Gift Chocolate recalled due to undeclared milk, soy
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall for a specific chocolate brand sold in Ontario and Quebec.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Murder charge laid after man falls to death from Toronto apartment balcony
One person has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of a man who fell from a balcony following an altercation inside a Toronto apartment building.
Dozens in Italy give a fascist salute on the anniversary of Mussolini's execution
Dozens of people raised their arms in the fascist salute and shouted a fascist chant during ceremonies Sunday to honor Italian dictator Benito Mussolini on the 79th anniversary of his execution.
Japan's ruling party loses all 3 seats in special vote, seen as punishment for corruption scandal
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's governing party, stung by an extensive slush funds scandal, appeared to have lost all three seats in Sunday's parliamentary byelections, according to media exit polls and preliminary results.
Zendaya tennis movie ‘Challengers’ scores at weekend box office
Zendaya and castmates Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor have been on a globetrotting press tour to get the word out about Italian director Luca Guadagnino's original film, which opened in 3,477 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
Quebec to invest $603 million to protect the French language
Quebec will invest $603 million over five years to counter the decline of French in the province, French Language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge announced Sunday.